ASSEMBLY APPROPRIATIONS COMMITTEE

STATEMENT TO

ASSEMBLY, No. 2054

STATE OF NEW JERSEY

DATED:  OCTOBER 22, 2026

      The Assembly Appropriations Committee reports favorably Assembly Bill No. 2054.

      As reported, this bill requires the Division of Children’s System of Care (DCSOC) in the Department of Children and Families to:  (1) establish an authorization period of 12 months for the provision of agency-hired, agency-weekend respite, and self-hired respite care, to an individual under the age of 21 with a developmental disability; (2) once an individual under the age of 21 with a developmental disability has been authorized to receive family support services from an agency contracted with the Department of Children and Families (DCF), ensure that the individual’s family or guardian be provided with a bank of respite care service hours, in addition to, and separate from, any other family support service hours the individual, the individual’s family or guardian, or both are eligible to receive, that can be used during each authorization period, including, but not limited to, agency-hired, agency-weekend respite, or self-hired respite care, based on the specific needs of the individual, the individual’s family or guardian, or both; and (3) establish a process by which the family or guardian of an individual under the age of 21 with a developmental disability who has been authorized to receive family support services undergoes an annual reevaluation of the need for the family support services received during the authorization period.

      Nothing in the bill is to be construed to allow the DCSOC to reduce the amount of respite care service hours an individual under the age of 21 with a developmental disability, the individual’s family or guardian, or both have been authorized to receive during a 12-month authorization period.

      As defined in the bill: “agency-hired respite care” means respite care, including social and recreational experiences, provided by a trained respite care worker employed by an agency contracted with the DCF to an individual under the age of 21 with a developmental disability in, or outside of, the individual’s home; “agency-weekend respite care” means social and recreational experiences provided during the weekend by a trained respite care worker employed by an agency contracted with the DCF to an individual under the age of 21 with a developmental disability outside of the individual’s home; and “self-hired respite care” means an arrangement that allows the family or guardian of an individual under the age of 21 with a developmental disability to recruit and hire a trained respite care worker, paid directly by individual’s family or guardian, to provide social and recreational experiences to the individual in, or outside of, the individual’s home.

      Currently, DCSOC policy reauthorizes the provision of agency-hired, agency-weekend, and self-hired respite care every 90 days, stipulates that certain respite care services are limited to a set number of service hours (60 hours for agency-hired and self-hired respite care and 75 hours for agency-weekend respite care), and requires the families of individuals under the age of 21 with a developmental disability receiving family support services to undergo an annual reapplication process to continue to receive such services.

      This bill requires the DCSOC to expand the authorization period for the provision of agency-hired, agency-weekend, and self-hired respite care from the current 90 days to 12 months, ensure that certain respite care services are not limited to a set number of service hours during each authorization period, and replaces the annual reapplication process with an annual reevaluation process of the family supports services provided by DCSOC to eligible individuals to afford families the flexibility to access respite care based on their specific needs.

FISCAL IMPACT:

      The Office of Legislative Services (OLS) finds that the Department of Children and Families’ annual expenditures will increase by an indeterminate amount to provide a bank of additional respite care service hours for the family or guardian of an individual under the age of 21 with a developmental disability who is authorized to receive family support services through the Division of Children’s System of Care.

      Given that the bill does not specify the number of additional respite care hours that would be provided annually, the OLS lacks the informational basis to determine the amount by which annual State expenditures will increase.

      To the extent that additional respite care services are provided for individuals who are eligible for NJ FamilyCare, annual State revenues from federal Medicaid reimbursements will increase by an indeterminate amount.

      The OLS also finds that the provision in the bill prohibiting any reduction in respite care service hours for an eligible person’s family or guardian during a 12-month service authorization period could affect the department’s costs by an indeterminate amount